Welcome to the
Department of Evolutionary Ecology
at the Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution
News
02.09.2022
We congratulate Rebekka Janke et al. on their paper "Bacterial ectosymbionts in cuticular organs chemically protect a beetle during molting stages" in Springer Nature - ISME Journal
Here's the link to JGU's according Press release
24.12.2021
Congrats to Eva Maria Griebeler on being corresponding author on a study in Science on the evolution of ichthyosaurs!
She modelled the marine food web of which a new giant ichthyosaur was a member in order to understand how they could grow so big so fast!
Check out: Sander, PM, Griebeler EM et al. (2021). Early giant reveals faster evolution of large body size in ichthyosaurs than in cetacean. Science 374, 1578. DOI: 10.1126/science.abf5787
You find the JGU's press release here.
01.06.2021
We congratulate Nomthi on getting the BEE award for her excellent talk at the BEE 2020 conference!
"An award reserved for someone who has given a superb presentation and has fostered the BEE ethos of interdisciplinary thinking" - Well done, Nomthi!
11.05.2021
"A beetle's Achilles heel: Glyphosate inhibits symbiotic bacteria in the saw-toothed grain beetle"
Kiefer, J. S. T. et al., Inhibition of a nutritional endosymbiont by glyphosate abolishes mutualistic benefit on cuticle synthesis in Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Communications Biology 4: 554, 11 May 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02057-6
Press release: https://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/13595_ENG_HTML.php
19.04.2021
"The defensive symbiont of the European Beewolf shows incipient genome erosion and metabolic streamlining for antibiotic production."
Nechitaylo, T. Y. et al. (2021). Incipient genome erosion and metabolic streamlining for antibiotic production in a defensive symbiont. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2023047118, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2023047118
14.12.2020
We congratulate Benni Weiss to his successfully completed training as
"Biomedical Scientist in Histology and Cytopathology" - great, Benni!
12.06.2020
We're happy about the publication of "Bacterial symbionts support larval sap feeding and adult folivory in (semi-)aquatic reed beetles" in Nature Communications!
Press release: https://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/11586_ENG_HTML.php
01.02.2020
Ana Carvalho joines our group as a new PhD student of the GenEvo graduate program working on gene regulation in the reed beetle symbiosis. Welcome Ana!
21.11.2019
We celebrate Sebastian Hoffmann's outstanding denfense of his PhD thesis on "Satellitentelemetrische Studien an Rothirschen (Cervus elaphus) und retrospektive Betrachtung von Änderungen in der genetischen Konstitution freilebender Rothirsch-Populationen mit Hilfe alter DNA aus Geweihen".
Congratulations Dr. Hoffmann!
03.12.2019
Jasmin Schleunes and Paula Becker from the Graf-Stauffenberg-Gymnasium in Flörsheim received first prize at the annual P&G Mint Award with their work on „Will plants ingest micro plastic?“ . We are happy we could support you with your project. Congratulations!
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22.10.2019
The dynamic gut microbiota of the Welwitschia bug Probergrotius angolensis might have allowed this Pyrrhocorid bug to switch host plants.
Original publication: Martinez, A. J.Onchuru, T. O.Ingham, C. S.Sandoval-Calderón, M.Kaltenpoth, M.Welwitschia Probergrotius angolensis Molecular Ecology10.1111/mec.15281
8.10.2019
The review "Versatile and Dynamic Symbioses Between Insects and Burkholderia Bacteria" from L. V. Florez and M. Kaltenpoth was published in Annual Review of Entomology.
24.09.2019
Aurelien Vigneron strengthens the SYMBeetle project as a further Postdoc. Welcome Aurelien!
2.9.2019
Philipp Dirksen joins the lab as a postdoc in the SYMBeetle project. Welcome Philipp!
| 17.08.2019 Thomas had the honor to be our first PhD student to defend his thesis in Mainz. He did so very successfully, setting high standards for all future candidates to come.Congratulations Dr. Onchuru! |
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05.07.2019
Nomthandazo Kanyile from South Africa starts her PhD thesis in the SYMBeetle Project in our group - welcome Nomthi!
12.06.2019
How young beewolves protect themselves and their stored provisions against spoilage by mold fungi – by releasing high concentrations of the radical gas nitric oxide – was published in eLife. Press release of JGU: http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/8827_ENG_HTML.php
Orginal publication:
Strohm, E., Herzner, G., Ruther, J., Kaltenpoth, M., Engl, T. (2019) Nitric oxide radicals are emitted by wasp eggs to kill mold fungi. eLife, doi; 10.7554/eLife.43718
17. Mai 2019
GenEvo (Gene Regulation in Evolution: From Molecular to Extended Phenotypes ) is a DFG funded Research Training Group organised in a collaboration between the faculty of biology of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB). The initiative is centred around the core question of how complex and multi-layered gene regulatory systems have evolved.
Press release JGU: http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/8497_DEU_HTML.php
Information on the Project and Job opportunities at IMB - GenEvo
01. Mai 2019
Jürgen Wierz starts as the first newly recruited candidate his PhD thesis in the ERC-funded SYMBeetle project. Welcome, Jürgen!
18.01.2019
PhD and postdoc positions available within the ERC-funded project SYMBeetle: ‘Symbiont-assisted cuticle biosynthesis as a key innovation contributing to the evolutionary success of beetles’ - job advertisement (Deadline 15. Februar 2019)
16.01.2019
ERC Consolidator Grant for Martin Kaltenpoth for his research focusing on the relationship between beetles and symbiotic Bacteria - SYMBeetle project to investigate symbiont-assisted cuticle biosynthesis as a crucial mechanism that may have contributed to the evolutionary success of beetles
Press release: http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/7239_ENG_HTML.php
01.01.2019
Happy start into the new year: the manuscript of E. M. Griebeler and N. Klein on the Topic "Life-history strategies indicate live-bearing in Nothosaurus (Sauropterygia)" was accepted in the Palaeontology Journal.
27.11.2018
In another international collaboration published in BMC Microbiology we show that antibiotic and gamma-radiation treatment disturbs the endosymbiont community in tsetse flies which changes the composition of pheromones on their body surface and impacts mate choice.
Orginal publication: Engl, T., Michalkova, V., Weiss, B. L., Uzel, G. D., Takac, P., Miller, W. J., Abd-Alla, A. M. M., Aksoy, S., and Kaltenpoth, M. (2018) Effect of antibiotic treatment and gamma-irradiation on cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and mate choice in tsetse flies (Glossina m. morsitans). BMC Microbiology. doi: 10.1186/s12866-018-1292-7
20.11.2018
Our collaborative manuscript on Wolbachia influencing pheromones and mating in the neotropical Drosophila paulistorum superspecies was published in Behavior Genetics.
Original publication: Schneider, D., Ehrman, L., Engl, T., Kaltenpoth, M., Hua-Van, A., Le Rouzic, A., Miller, W.J. (2018) Symbiont-driven male mating success in neotropical Drosophila paulistorum superspecies. Behavior Genetics. doi:10.1007/s10519-018-9937-8
| 19.10.2018 The article on How beetle larvae thrive on carrion was released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.link to JGU press release: http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/6615_ENG_HTML.php |
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Original publcation: Shukla, S.P., Plata, C., Reichelt, M., Steiger, S., Heckel, D.G., Kaltenpoth, M., Vilcinskas, A. & Vogel, H. (2018) Microbiome-assisted carrion preservation aids larval development in a burying beetle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1812808115.
09.10.2018
The summary article "Schon immer die gleiche Medizin" highlighting our recent findings on the usage of symbiont produced antibiotics by beewolves was published in Nachrichten aus der Chemie.
Original publication: Engl, T. 2018 schon immer die gleiche Medizin, Nachrichten aus der Chemie, DOI:10.1002/nadc.20184075552.
| 20.08.2018 We're moving! From August, 27th 2018 our new address will be BioZentrum I, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15. |
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13.08.2018
Marion Lemoine starts her PhD thesis in our group - welcome Marion!
17.07.2018
Tobias Engl won the professor/postdoc photo contest of the 9th International Symbiosis Society congress with a visualization of the Bacteroidetes symbionts in a larva of the saw toothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis.
04.07.2018
Thomas’ article „The cotton stainer’s gut microbiota suppresses infection of a co-transmitted trypanosomatid parasite“ was published in Molecular Ecology.
Orginal publication: Onchuru, T., Martinez, A., Kaltenpoth, M. (2018) The cotton stainer’s gut microbiota suppresses infection of a co-transmitted trypanosomatid parasite, Molecular Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/mec.14788
26.06.2018
The latest paper on the symbiont-mediated chemical defense of Lagria beetles came out in Nature Communications.
Link to the press release: http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/5705_ENG_HTML.php
Original publication: Flórez, L. V., Scherlach, L., Miller, I. J., Rodrigues, A., Kwan, J. C., Hertweck C. and Kaltenpoth, M. (2018). An antifungal polyketide associated to horizontally acquired genes in a symbiont contributes to egg defense in Lagria beetles. Nat. Commun. 9, 2478. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04955-6
| 10.07.2018 Julian Kiefer starts his PhD with us on the molecular host-symbiont interactions in grain pest beetles. Welcome, Julian! |
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05.06.2018
Interested in Transmission of mutualistic bacteria in social and gregarious insects? Then check out our latest review in Current Opinion in Insect Science.
Orginal publication: Onchuru, O.T., Martinez, A., Ingham, C.S., Kaltenpoth, M. (2018) Transmission of mutualistic bacteria in social and gregarious insects, Current Opinion in Insect Science, 28: 50-58.
22.03.2018
Our review on the influence of microbes on pheromones of insects was published in Natural Product Reports.
Orginal publication: Engl, T., Kaltenpoth, M. (2018) Influence of microbial symbionts on insect pheromones, Natural Product Reports, DOI: 10.1039/c7np00068e
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15.03.2018 |
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26.02.2018
We welcome Dr. Junbeom Lee as a new group member!
19.02.2018
Science Trends presents a new hypothesis on the evolution of endothermy in vertebrates, recently published in the journal The Science of Nature.
Original publication: Werner, J. & Griebeler, E. M. (2017). Was endothermy in amniotes induced by an early stop in growth during ontogeny? The Science of Nature 104: 90.
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13.02.2018
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The article on the Evolutionarily stable symbiotic defense against mold fungi in beewolf wasps was released in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. Original publication: Engl, T., Kroiss, J., Kai, M., Nechitaylo, T., Svatoš, A., Kaltenpoth, M. (2018). Evolutionary stability of antibiotic protection in a defensive symbiosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, DOI 10.1073/pnas.1719797115 |
15.01.2018
We welcome Dr. Eugen Bauer as a new member in our group - welcome Eugen!